After a 5 year struggle with anorexia (with purging tendencies), depression, self harm and over exercising I have now been recovered for 4 years and i use my blog to help others in the same situation i once was.
I am now a happy and positive person who wants to inspire those struggling to choose recovery and to take control over life and happiness again!

Life without Anorexia

My motto is 'Dont let the sadness of your past & the fear of your future ruin the happiness of your present'

My life at the moment is completely different to how it once was. I spent 5 years sick with anorexia nervosia and depression as well as struggling with self harm and overexercising. I spent 2 years in different treatment centres.

And since 2012 i have been declared healthy from my eating disorder.

I have been blogging for 7 years, and my whole journey is written in my posts. I now represent healthy and happiness. I want to show anyone struggling that it is possible to recover, no matter how hard it may seem.

I now blog about recovery, my life, veganism and positivity!

If you have any questions leave them in the comment section as i am much quicker at answering there, otherwise you can always send an email: lifewithoutanorexia@hotmail.com

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Intervals and hil intervals

HIIT (high intensity interval training) or just intervals are a very effective way of working out. It is has been shown that a 20 minute HIIT session is as effective as a 60-80 minutes moderate cardio (example jogging/running on the treadmill/cross trainer etc) . HIIT is very time efficient as well as being very effective, however it is high intensity. So it's not recommended to do it everyday, instead maybe 1-3 times a week.
When i do HIIT i usually do it on the treadmill where i sprint 20 seconds at 16-20km/hr and then rest 10 seconds and repeat for however long you plan on doing intervals - when i do this type of HIIT i usually dont do more than 12 minutes as it really is intense.
But you can do many forms of HIIT such as 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest. Or 2 minutes work (not at max), 1 minute rest etc etc

You can do HIIT on the treadmill, bike, cross trainer, stairmaster, out walking etc and doing circuits/plyo training is doing a form of HIIT.

When it comes to running, doing HIIT has been one of the most helpful things as it has helped me increase speed and endurance as well as better breathing when running at a fast pace! You can notice progress after only 2-3 sessions which is awesome :) Usually i try to aim for 2 HIIT sessions (of 12 minutes) per week as i like to have 2 days between the sessions for best recovery time. But sometimes i dont have the energy for HIIT so then it can go 2-3 weeks where i dont do it, or i do loads of running so dont feel like doing HIIT as well.

I can also recommend hill training or intervals if you are someone who runs outside alot, or who feels you want to begin running outside. I know hills can seem daunting and just the sight of them makes your legs tired, but the only thing i can say is try.... begin with doing 5 hill intervals where you run/jog up the hill and then walk/jog down the hill followed by 30-90 seconds rest and repeat however many times you feel like. Also, if you are out running try running up the hill.... for me i used to ALWAYS stop and begin to walk if it was a hill, i didnt even try to run up it because it seemed to hard. Too tiring and painful... but then i tried and even if i felt like dying when i was at the top i tried it again.
And now when im out running 80% of the time i just continue running even if its a hill... some hills if they are very steep you actually save more energy and time if you just walk them rather that overexerting yourself and running them!

So give hill intervals a try if you are outside, at first you might feel like dying but give it a few weeks of practise and soon you will be out running and not have to stop and walk when there is a hill :)

Also, running outside is alot better than on the treadmill ;)But to each their own!!P.s Only do HIIT when your body is at a healthy place because otherwise it could be too much for your body. Also LISTEN to your body. You dont always need to do a super intense workout, resting, doing a light workout or no workout at all is sometimes better for your body and what your body needs. So be kind to yourself!

I write these types of exercise posts sometimes as they have been requested, but leave feedback whether you like them or not so i know :)

Well I promote a healthy lifestyle and for me that includes exercise. And you can exercise when you are a healthy weight and have a healthy mindset. but I will kep this in mind and ill see what other feedback I get, but I try to not write so much about exercise as it can be triggering but if people want it I can write these types of posts once in a whiile. but ill see what others say :)

I'm sorry I didn't mean to be rude, and i read your blog regularly, and i do really like your posts about exercises and workouts, but lately I've seen lots of posts about running..and i just wanted to tell you. Plus becarefull when you suggest hills training because it is not a normal workout. Even elite runners do this not more than once every two weeks...

Thank you, this is a really good point!! :) there has been alot of posts about running, so ill limit the exercise posts for now :) and with the hill running I mean more it can be good to do now and again if you are out running... not that you do it every day. But I guess I should be wary of why I write because maybe someone who is sick will begun doing lots of HIIT and intervals now just to burn calories.... but this is supposed to be more helpful.

Following your blog gave me the motivation to recover once and for all because - among other things - it showed me all I was missing out by being sick. Which is totally what this post is doing. You expressly state it is something to do only when healthy, it shouldn't have to be taken the wrong way, you're not inciting anyone who shouldn't exercise. I personally love those new posts about exercise. Recovery is about rediscovering the opportunities life gives us. And doing what you love is the most important ones. Hugs, Carine.

Hi! I really like your exercise posts. I learn a lot by reading them and I get a lot of inspiration. I would really like if continued writing them. I also agree with the above anonymous, Carine.

If you promote a healthy lifestyle and exercise is a important thing in your life it is obvious that you like to write about them, or? It is your blog and you can decide whether you write about exercise or not. You can't be responsible of all people suffering with anorexia or other eating disorders. There is exercise and fitness everywhere in the internet.

This is just my opinion and I didn't mean to be rude. I wish you have a nice day and the rest of the week!

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About Me

Hello :)
I have had Anorexia and depression for c.a 5 years and been in and out of hospital for 2 years. But now im living my life like a normal teenager, I still have my ups and downs now and again, but i still stay positive and never give up.
In my blog i write about my daily life, and my opinions and views on certain things and i bring up topics and information that i think needs to be passed on!!
Leave a comment - love reading comments from people :)
If anyone wants to get in contact with me.
Mail me here --> lifewithoutanorexia@hotmail.com